Double sail sheet



March 24,1970v LMNUNN y 3,501,787

DOUBLE SAIL SHEET Filed Aug. 1, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 :16J [TO INVENT OR 48 LOLHSE M. NUNN March 24, 1970 M. NUNN DOUBLE SAIL SHEET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 1. 1967 INVENTOR LOU \SE M. MUNN 00,1%' MSA'ITORNEYS I United States Patent O U.S. Cl. -334 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF Tm DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an improved double sail sheet which is formed of a single one-piece generally rectangular cloth blank folded upon itself to define a mattress receiving portion and a covering portion. A first pocket is integrally formed from the blank at a rst transverse end of the mattress receiving portion while a second pocket means is similarly integrally formed from the blank at an opposite transverse end of the mattress receiving portion. One of the pockets is defined by a generally U-shaped slit in the mattress receiving portion spaced inwardly and opening away from the adjacent transverse edge of the mattress receiving portion. The U-shaped slit has a bight portion and a pair of leg p0rtions with the leg portions being spaced inwardly from opposite longitudinal edges of the blank. The area between each longitudinal edge and its associated leg portion is sewn together to secure the mattress receiving and covering portions to each other, and snap-locking means are provided for securing the mattress receiving and covering portions in generally overlapping relationship particularly for laundering purposes.

A primary object of this invention is to prov-ide a novel double sail sheet which is economical to manufacture, can be readily applied to and removed from a mattress, can be easily laundered, and does not require the waste of any cloth during the manufacture thereof. In addition, the double sail sheet of this invention includes a mattress receiving portion which itself and pocket-receiving pockets thereof are contoured to the configuration of a mattress whose ends are adapted to be encased in the double sail sheet, thus imparting a contoured effect to the sheet.

Large public and private health and convalescent institutions, such as hospitals, old age homes, etc. having numerous beds require bedding which can be rapidly applied to and removed from beds. This is particularly true of hospitals where in-patient time has progressively lessened over the years andpatients may be hospitalized for as little as a few hours for observation, minor surgery, or similar reasons. However, irrespective of the time a patient spends in bed it is the general procedure in most hospitals to change the bedding each day irrespective of the amount of time spent in bed by a particular patient. It is also not uncommon for the bedding to be changed at regular intervals even when unused particularly in cases involving communicable disease. Thus, the problem of changing the bedding in such institutions is ever increasing both from the standpoint of the time consumed to change the bedding and the cost thereof, not to mention the esthetic apearance of the finally-made bed.

In keeping with this invention a double sail sheet is provided which markedly reduces the time required to make a bed (or unmake the same) while imparting a generally identical appearance to every bed covered with the double sheet of this invention. lust as important is the simplicity of construction of the double sheet of this invention which requires little more than a rectangular llCe piece of cloth which is folded, slit and sewn virtually in the absence of Waste material thus reducing the cost of manufacture well below conventional double sail sheets.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claimed subject matter, and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a cloth blank from which the double sail sheet of this invention is constructed, and illustrates an imaginary line generally medially of the blank dividing the same into a mattress covering portion and a mattress receiving portion, the latter of which is provided with a transverse slit of a generally shallow U-shaped configuration.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the cloth blank of FIGURE 1 after the same has been folded along the imaginary transverse fold line, and illustrates an underfolded pocket formed at the rightmost transverse edge of the mattress receiving portion and transverse stitching inboard of the left transverse edge of the now folded blank.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along line 3-3 of FIGURE l, and illustrates one of three female snaps secured to a transverse hem of the covering portion.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along line 4 4 of FIGURE 1, and illustrates binding material sewn to edges of the main blank defining the U-shaped slit.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along line 5 5 of FIGURE l, and illustrates a strip of reinforcing cloth sewn to the main blank between an edge of the slit and an adjacent longitudinal edge of the blank.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along line 6-6 of FIGURE 7, and illustrates an overfolded and sewn corner of the mattress receiving portion and a male sua-p fastener secured thereto.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along line 7-7 of FIGURE 2, and illustrates more clearly the manner in which the corner opposite that shown in FIGURE 6 is sewn together.

FIGURE 8 is a top perspective view of the double sail sheet of FIGURE 2, and illustrates the same in conjunction with an associated mattress with head and foot ends of the mattress being received in pockets of the mattress receiving portion.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary bottom perspective view of the corner of the leftmost pocket of FIGURE 8, and illustrates the manner in which the U-shaped slit opens to receive the mattress.

FIGURE l0 is a bottom perspective view of the double sheet and mattress of FIGURE 8, and illustrates the manner in which the mattress receiving and covering portions are infolded to impart a contoured configuration to the sheet.

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary perspective v-ieW of a corner of an opposite pocket to that illustrated in FIG- URE 9, and more clearly illustrates the particular manner in which the same is constructed.

Referring to the drawings in particular, a double sail sheet constructed in accordance with this invention is fully illustrated in FIGURES 2 through 1l of the drawings, and is generally designated by the reference numeral 15. The do-uble sail sheet 15 is formed from a single one-piece generally rectangular cloth blank 20 (FIGURE 1) which is folded and sewn in a manner which will be described immediately hereafter.

The cloth blank (FIGUR-E 1) including a pair of longitudinal edge portions 21, 22 and transverse edge portions 23, 24. The longitudinal edge portions 21, 22 are overfolded and sewn, as indicated by the dash lines, to form longitudinal hems 25, 26. The transverse edge portions 23, 24 are likewise overfolded and sewn to form transverse hems 27, 28 with the latter being narrower than the former. Three female snaps 30-32 are conventionally secured to the hern 27 of the blank 20, as best illustrated in FIGURE 3 of the drawings, while a similar conventional male snap 33 is conventionally secured to but a single ply of the blank 20 inboard of the hem 28, an imaginary fold line 34, and in longitudinal alignment with the female snap 31. The openings (unnumbered) of the female snaps 30 through 32 open upwardly as viewed in FIGURE 1 while the mating portion (unnumbered) of the male snap 33 similarly projects upwardly in this same figure.

Another imaginary fold line 35 divides the blank 20 into a mattress receiving portion 36 to the right of the vfold line 35 as viewed in FIGURE l and a covering portion 37 to the left of this same fold line. Thus, the mattress receiving portion 36v is defined by the imaginary fold line 35, the longitudinal edges 21, 22 to the right of the fold line 35, and the transverse edge 24. The covering portion 36 is similarly defined or set-off by the fold line 35, the portions of the longitudinal edges 21, 22 to the left of the fold line 35, and the transverse edge 23.

The mattress receiving portion 36 is provided with a generally shallow U-shaped or C-shaped slit 38 having a bight portion 40 inboard of and parallel to the imaginary fold line 35 and a pair of parallel leg portions 41, 42 directed toward the transverse edge 24. The leg portions 41, 42 are positioned adjacent and parallel to the hems 25, 26, respectively, and in transversely spaced relationship thereto. Two strips of binding tape 43, 44 are sewn to cover the edges (unnumbered) of the slit 41 in the manner best illustrated in FIGURE 4 of the drawings.

In addition to reinforcing the edges forming the U- shaped slit 38, two strips of material 45, 46 are sewn to the underside of the blank 20 between the bight portions 41, 42 and the respective longitudinal hems 25, 26, in the manner clearly evident from FIGURES 1 and 5 of the drawings. The strips 45, 46 are preferably though not necessarily continuations of either of the binding strips 43, 44. That is, the binding strip 44 may, for example, be overfolded and sewn to the generally U-shaped configuration and spread or opened transversely between the leg portions 41, 42 and the adjacent hems 25, 26. In this manner the same material which is used to form either of the binding strips 43, 44 may be used to form the reinforcing strips 45, 46.

After the blank 20 has been formed in the manner described thus far the transverse edge 24 is under-folded along the fold line 33 from the position shown in FIG- URE l to the position illustrated in FIGURE 2. Generally L-shaped stitching 47, 48 secures the corners of the underfolded material to the material directly thereabove. In this manner a pocket P is formed which opens from right-toleft as viewed in FIGURES 2 and 11 and is set off by the under-folded portion of the transverse edge 24, the portion immediately thereabove, the fold line 34, the transverse hem 28 and the stitching 47, 48.

A pair of male snaps 50, 51 with their ends projecting upwardly as viewed in FIGURE 2 of the drawings are attached to the blank 20 at the corners adjacent the stitching 47, 48 in alignment with the respective female snaps 32, 30. By securing the snaps 30 through 32 to respective snaps 51, 33 and 50 the sheet 15 can be maintained in its double-folded configuration as shown in FIGURE 2 upon the downward folding of the illustrated upturned corners adjacent the snaps 30, 32. The double-folded configuration facilitates the laundering of the sheet 15 by reducing the total length thereof generally in half thus rendering the same less bulky and cumbersome.

After the pocket P has been formed another pocket P1 (FIGURES 8 and 9) is formed by folding the cloth blank 20 along the fold line 35 to bring the covering portion 37 into overlying relationship to the mattress receiving portion 36, as shown in FIGURE 2. Thereafter stitching 52, 53 at the corners longitudinally opposite the snaps 50, 51 and inboard of the fold line 35 securely retains the corners of the portions 36, 37 fastened together. The distance between the ends of the stitching 52, 53 as measured transversely of the sheet 15 approximates the distance between the bight portions 41, 42 of the slit 38 and is generally equal to or slightly greater than the width of a mattress M which is inserted into the pocket P1 in the manner best illustrated in FIGURE 8 of the drawings.

The pocket P1 is therefore defined by the material of the blank portion 36 to the left of the bight portion 40 as viewed in FIGURE 2, the overlying material of the covering portion 37, and the stitching 52, 53.

The mattress M is illustrated as having a transverse head end H and a transverse foot end F which are respectively received in the pockets P, P1 (FIGURES 8 and l0), although the mattress M can be reversed or rotated such that the head and foot portions are respectively received in the pockets P1 and P. The sheet 15 is united with the mattress M by simply inserting the head end I-I of the mattress M into the pocket P and thereafter drawing the sheet downwardly toward the foot end F until the latter is received in the pocket P1 which automatically forms upon the opening of the U-shaped slit 38. When thus positioned the flap (unnumbered) set-off between the leg portions 41, 42 is disposed atop the upper surface of the mattress M, as is best illustrated in FIGURES 8 and 9 of the drawings, and the fold line 35 is generally positioned midway between upper and lower surfaces of the mattress M, as shown in FIGURE 8.

Thereafter the corners of the portions 36, 37 are corner-folded in a conventional manner by first infolding the sheet 15 along the sides of the matters M, in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 8 and thereafter overfolding the sheet at each corner followed by an infolding of the sheet beneath the mattress, as shown in FIG- URE l0. By simply unsnapping the snaps 30 through 32 the covering portion 37 can be drawn toward the foot end F incident to a persons lying upon the upper surface of the mattress receiving portion 36 and subsequently covering himself by returning the covering portion 37 generally to the position shown in FIGURE 8.

While preferred forms and arrangement of parts have been shown in illustrating the invention, it is to be clearly understood that various changes in details and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A double sail sheet comprising a single one-piece generally rectangular sheet material blank folded upon itself to define a mattress receiving portion and a covering portion, first pocket means integrally formed from said blank at a first transverse end of said mattress receiving portion for receiving therein the head end of an associated mattress, second pocket means integrally formed from said blank at an opposite transverse end of said mattress receiving portion for receiving therein the foot end of an associated mattress, and one of said pocket means is defined in part by a transverse generally U- shaped slit in said mattress receiving portion spaced inwardly and opening away from the adjacent transverse end of said mattress receiving portion.

2. The double sail' sheet as defined in claim 1 Iwherein said U-shaped slit is also spaced inwardly from opposite longitudinal edges of said blank.

3. The double sail sheet as defined in claim 1 wherein said U-shaped slit is also spaced inwardly from opposite longitudinal edges of said blank, and means securing together said mattress receiving portion and said covering portion between said slit and said longitudinal edges.

4. The double sail sheet as defined in claim 1 wherein said U-shaped slit has a bight portion and a pair of leg portions, said leg portions being spaced inwardly from opposite longitudinal edges of said blank, and means securing together said mattress receiving portion and said covering portion between said leg portions and said longitudinal edges.

5. The double sail sheet as dened in claim 3 wherein said slit has a width approximately the depth of a mattress end adapted for insertion therein.

6. The double sail sheet as defined in claim 4 wherein said leg portions are of a length approximating the depth of a mattress end adapted for insertion therein.

7. The double sail sheet as defined in claim 5 including snap-locking means for securing said mattress receiving and covering portions in generally overlapping relationship.

8. The double sail sheet as dened in claim 6 including snap-locking means for securing said mattress receiving and covering portions in generally overlapping relationship.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1935 Palm. 1/ 1959 Hoppe.

l0 BOBBY R. GRAY, Primary Examiner 

